Nine Arrested During Protest at King County Youth Detention Construction SiteApril 21, 2018

CLICK TO ENLARGE: Protesters Friday at construction site of new King County Youth Detention Center. Photo: Facebook/KING 5 TV video. Photo Credit: KING TV Seattle.

Chronicle staff

(SEATTLE, WA.) – Seattle Police arrested nine people Friday during yet another protest, one of several the past few months, against construction of the new King County Youth Detention Center.

It all began about 5:30 am when Seattle Police officers responded to a report of a demonstration at 14th Avenue East and East Remington Court, the construction site for the new King County Youth Detention Center.

“Three adult women had breached a security fence and entered the construction site,” said an SPD statement. “The women were chained together and refused to leave when asked. This is the first time that protestors entered the construction site with intent to disrupt planned construction activity.”

Seattle Police say they monitored the demonstration of approximately 35 protestors for nearly four hours and tried to “negotiate a conclusion to the illegal aspects of the demonstration,” but that went nowhere.

Police say protesters “made it clear” they preferred to be arrested rather than leave the construction site interior and move away from the construction entrance.

The SPD says in addition to giving a final appeal to one leader, police proceeded to give two orders to disperse at approximately 9:30 am but three men and three women continued to block the entrance and they were arrested without incident for “pedestrian interference.”

The three women who were in the interior of the construction were arrested as well and all nine weretaken to the King County Jail for the standard booking process.

Many of the protesters, some of them local clergy members, were with the No New Youth Jail Campaign.

They want King County Executive Dow Constantine to put a stop to the construction of the new $210 million youth jail.

Dean Spade, one of the protest organizers told a broadcast TV reporter at the scene, "We’re praying for Dow to embrace his humanity and end a project that will bring harm and trauma to our communities.”